A coroner will investigate the cause of a devastating bushfire that destroyed 116 homes on Victoria's surf coast on Christmas Day.
State coroner Judge Sara Hinchey says it is in the public interest to investigate the fire despite an interim report by the Inspector General for Emergency Management, Tony Pearce, finding lightning caused the Wye River fire, not back-burning efforts by firefighters as some suggest.
Had it not been for the back-burning along the Jamieson Track between December 22 and Christmas Eve, the blaze that razed homes in the townships could have been worse, according to the report.
The Coroners Court of Victoria, on Friday, confirmed it received formal requests, including one from the United Firefighters Union, to investigate the blaze in the Otway Ranges.
Union secretary Peter Marshall has been agitating for the coroner to investigate the blaze, and says senior firefighters were not questioned or enabled to tell their story to the Inspector General for his report.
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Wye River residents have been scathing of the decision to back-burn around the fire before Christmas, saying decision makers should have used water bombers to attack the blaze instead.
The Wye River bushfire burned more than 2500 hectares before it was contained two weeks ago, with firefighters saying it will take torrential rain to extinguish it.
The inspector-general's full report is due on February 12.
It's unclear where the coroner's investigation will result in an inquest but will find, if possible, the cause and origin of the fire and the circumstances in which it occurred.
